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Yowamushi Pedal Manga Has 15 Million Copies in Print
posted on by Jabulani Blyden
The wraparound jacket of the 43rd volume of Wataru Watanabe's Yowamushi Pedal manga announced that the manga now has 15 million copies in print. The 43rd volume of the manga shipped on Friday.
The manga centers around Sakamichi Onoda, an otaku at Sōhoku High School. He loves anime and games so much, that he would ride his commuter bicycle to and from Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district in a 90-kilometer (about 60-mile) round trip over steep slopes after school. Onoda's life changes when he encounters his school's cycling team, and he ends up joining the competitive sport of bicycle racing.
Wataru Watanabe launched the manga in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine in 2008, and the story inspired stage plays, two television anime adaptations, and a spinoff manga, Yowamushi Pedal: Spare Bike. A third TV anime season has also been green-lit.
The manga has also inspired two anime compilation films, as well as an anime film with an original story, the latter of which opened in August 2015.
Yen Press has licensed the original manga for a release in North America. Discotek Media has licensed the two anime seasons for home video.
